My Top 5 Favourite Dinner Recipes You Can Make With an Empty Fridge

Full disclosure, you can’t make these recipes if your fridge or pantry are actually empty. But you can definitely make them when you’re low on ingredients! Ever have those days when you are determined to cook, rather than go to a restaurant, even though your pantry and fridge have hardly anything in them? This post is for those times. I never regret the days when I work up the energy and creativity to cook even when I don’t feel like it. And the ironic thing is that sometimes your best meals come from when you thought you had no ingredients!

With that said, I wanted to encourage you today by sharing some of my favourite easy dinner recipes that are super versatile and can be made with pantry staples that you probably have even when your pantry or fridge look empty. There seem to be certain ingredients that I always have, even at the end of the week after the bulk of our groceries are gone. These recipes are all some of my go-to recipes and ones that I know are easy to put together by swapping and substituting different things depending on what you have.

So without further adieu, here are my top 5 versatile recipes, in no particular order (make sure to save this post to refer back to later!).

1- Sweet Korean Lentils by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

This is a flavourful and simple recipe that I always seem to have the ingredients on hand to make. As long as you have lentils, rice, some kind of vegetable, and soy sauce or something similar, you can make a version of this! I usually add broccoli and carrots to this, but you can use any kind of vegetable that would work with the flavour profile such as peppers, bok choy, bean sprouts, etc., or serve with a side salad! If you don’t have the ingredients to make the sauce, you can used a jarred teriyaki sauce, stir fry sauce, or something similar. You can also use coconut aminos or tamari instead of soy sauce.

2- Coconut Curry Lentil Soup by Vegangela

This is a recipe that I make on a regular basis. It’s easy to substitute ingredients for what you have on hand, and nothing’s better than throwing a bunch of things into one pot and calling it done. It’s delicious every time even if you don’t have all of the exact ingredients. I recommend using fresh ginger instead of dried if you can! If you don’t have lentils, you can use chickpeas instead. I often add both. For the veggies, it’s flexible enough to be great with so many options- frozen peas (I always keep frozen peas on hand!), spinach, kale, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, etc.!

3- Vegetarian Crustless Quiche by Nutritious Minimalist

As long as you have eggs, seasonings, and some kind of veggie, you can make a version of crustless quiche! Since I typically don’t eat dairy, to substitute for the cheese, I usually blend up some cashews with some of the almond milk to add some richness and cheesy flavour (but that’s totally optional!). I like to use broccoli if I have it, but this is also delicious with kale, spinach, zucchini, peppers, onions, and tomatoes. If you have fresh tomatoes, make sure to add them to the top of your quiche. They add a delicious sweetness!

4- Creamy Chickpea and Spinach Curry by Cupful of Kale

Similar to the curry soup above, this is another recipe that I make on a regular basis, and I create my own version of it depending on what I have on hand. I always seem to have coconut milk, canned tomatoes, and rice in the pantry! This one can be made by using a variety of vegetables, as well as many different spices. It’s easy if you have a pre-mixed curry spice blend to use, but don’t be deterred if you’re missing one or two of the spices. While it may not be quite as good without them all, it will still be great, and you can compensate by using more of another spice depending on your preferences. And if you’re feeling unsure as to what to substitute, there are SO many varieties of chickpea curries online that I’m sure you’ll find something that will work! If you don’t have chickpeas, you can use lentils or cubes of tofu instead.

5- Southwest Quinoa Salad by The Simple Veganista

If you don’t have the ingredients to make the dressing, you can top it with guacamole, salsa, BBQ sauce (am I the only one that loves BBQ sauce on just about anything?), ranch dressing, sour cream, or lime juice. You can make it with a variety of different beans and veggies! And if you don’t have beans, you can use crumbled & sautéed tofu. I typically serve this warm, and make it with black beans, peppers, tomatoes, onion, zucchini, salsa, and whatever other “sauce” and toppings I have on hand.

And there you have it! I hope these recipes will have you feeling inspired to use up all those last odds and ends in your fridge along with some pantry staples. Eating healthily and frugally doesn’t have to be complicated!